His rationale for not doing the Oscar telecast early next year: “We feed Internet trolls and reward them. I’m not going to do it.”

Late Thursday, he made the move official:

“I'm sorry that I hurt people,” he said on Twitter. “I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again. “

He added: “This is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.”

One of the Tweets cited by Buzzfeed News that Hart deleted this week: “Yo if my son comes home & try’s 2 play with my daughters doll house I’m going 2 break it over his head & say n my voice ‘stop that’s gay.” He frequently used phrases like “fag” and “homo.”

Since those tweets, Hart’s career has been on the rise, with a string of hit movies, many shot in metro Atlanta including “Ride Along” and the recent “Night School.”

GLAAD, which represents the LGBTQ community, said Hart should have stayed on. “Kevin Hart shouldn’t have stepped down; he should have stepped up,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “Hart’s apology to LGBTQ people is an important step forward, but he missed a real opportunity to use his platform and the Oscars stage to build unity and awareness. We would still welcome that conversation with him. The Academy has recently made significant strides in featuring diverse talent onstage and they should now double down on that commitment as they look for a new host.”

In 2011, Brett Ratner (“Rush Hour”) resigned as producer of the 84th Academy Awards after saying "rehearsal is for fags" in a public Q&A for his film “Tower Heist.” Eddie Murphy stepped down as host and Billy Crystal filled in.